Farewell Leonard Dohn 2012-13 Youth Exchange Student
Leonard recalled his first day with Rotarian Sue McLellan and her husband having lunch at Bobby C’s then visiting his school. In the foyer they have a circle of flags and he thought it was fate that the German Flag is hung beside the Canadian Flag. Later that evening he attended the Courtice Rotary Club’s Paul Harris evening where Lou was awarded a PHF.
While with the Rodriguez family, my first host family, Leonard learned how to build a fence and use power tools, which is something he had never done in Germany. While living there the Visser family took him to the CNE which is something he will never forget and while driving into downtown Toronto he recalls not being able to take his face off the window!
I also joined the Interact Club of Clarington and became a real Rotarian like my father. This is a wonderful group of great young people and I am proud to be one of them always. I worked with them and accomplished many great things in this community here in Clarington. I am excited to go home and be more involved in my community. The Interact Club helps people who need it all the time and they make other people’s lives better. I hope to start Interact in my home town in Germany and be a leader like my Interact friends here in Clarington.
My second host family the Visser’s have left me with lifelong memories that I am very grateful for. Sharing a room was more fun than I would have imagined and having 2 host brothers so close in age to me made for never a dull moment, many laughs and lots of boyish fun. Traveling back and forth to school every day was always fun because my host brothers were like a traveling comedy show and they would take me out to lunch with their friends. Being able to eat lunch outside was a new experience as well as it is not permitted in German school.
Thanksgiving was a great time for family at the Visser house and I have never seen so much food and deep fried Turkey? But it was very good! I had never known of Halloween and had so much fun dressing up as a mad scientist with Connor, Spenser had a sumo wrestler costume and we got so much free candy it was unbelievable. Christmas was a flood of presents under the tree and more good food than even Thanksgiving like I did not know that was even possible. December 25th is my father’s birthday, Marie and Connor knew I was missing my family so they set up a Skype with my family in Germany, sang happy birthday to my dad and took a picture of all my host family and my family in the background on the big screen TV. “It was a very special moment for my father and my family and means so much to me I cannot express it”. Then on Boxing Day (Spenser’s 17th birthday) Marie and Paul woke us up and told us we needed to pack as we were going to Niagara Falls. Our hotel room was 35 floors up with a view of the falls that I could not take my eyes off of. Lou kept on saying are you okay you haven’t moved in a while?
I moved next to the Anyan’s house in Bowmanville. Kevin and Kathy own Kings Court Catering and I loved going to their big kitchen to watch, learn and help it was very much fun. Kevin and Kathy let me have many sleepover weekends with my exchange friends. I turned 17 at their house and they let me have a party and instead of presents I asked for donations for Polio and am very proud of that.
My current and last host family is with Ken, Angie and Adam Darlison in Bowmanville. I have my youngest host brother here and I am having so much fun with him. He likes to have lego night and I enjoy it very much. He is very good at building and has a great imagination.
He also likes to be outside and he has lots of energy. I have been able to spend time at their cottage where I have been fishing, tubing, kayaking, canoeing and swimming. It is Angie’s favourite place and I know why. I have my own room. In my room Ken and Angie put a wall map of the world. I look at it every night last thing and in the morning it is the first thing I look at. It makes me realize that the world is very big but you can make connections with people all over it and have friends anywhere in it.I will not ever look at a world map again without thinking about all the wonderful friends, Rotarians and families I have all over the world now.
The last part of my year here ended with a Cross Canada Tour that started in Shediac, New Brunswick.
Here we went lobster fishing and then had a big lobster feast in the harbor.
2-Montreal-stayed in a YWCA youth hostel here we participated in a huge scavenger hunt and a festival
3-Quebec City, here we stayed in a youth hostel in the downtown old city. Everything was only a five minute walk away. This was amazing the only bad thing is the entire people only spoke French. We also got to go go-karting which was a lot of fun because we have not been allowed to drive while here in Canada on exchange.
4-Ottawa-we stayed in the old jail hostel and were there for Canada Day. It was very busy with a lot of people. Chris Hatfield the Canadian Astronaut was there and played his guitar and sang. There were TV crews who asked the exchange students to take many pictures of Canadian pride. The students on the trip also did the Canada Day scavenger hunt, it was awesome!
5-Toronto-we stayed at the Royal York hotel and went to most of the attractions.
6-Niagara Falls-here the two clubs in Niagara came together to plan a great day and lunch. We went on the Maid of The Mist and a Jet Boat tour through the rapids.
7-Calgary-the Calgary stampede was amazing and we got to participate in Chuck Wagon races that were amazing. We were very upset by the flooding and the damage at the Saddledome the devastation to people was concerning to us.
Stanley Park was beautiful! We were able to bike all over it, walk, swim and picnic it was a great day.
On our trip we traveled by via train, fairy and planes. I met a lot of Rotarians who all have different opinions and wonderful stories about their experiences and home cities. He realizes that Canadians are very proud and have a lot to be proud of.
I want to finish up by talking about my school experience here in Canada. Lockers are in the hall here and you are able to socialize in the halls. I studied Biology and was able to dissect a rat and a pig heart. In Germany there are no dissections. I would not study English in school and although MacBeth was hard to read and learn I really liked it. It was fun acting it out to learn it. I enjoyed most my Phys-ed and outdoor education classes as we have nothing like that in Germany schools.
It seems like I just got here to Clarington a month or so ago until I think about all the wonderful things I have done and the great people I have met. I am very thankful for this opportunity.